Oxo, show business and this week's quote
Published: Mon, 11/03/14
A little bit of show business glamour came to Crewkerne today. The
funeral of Linda Bellingham took place at the Parish Church at noon
today and apparently she was laid to rest in the churchyard. Okay,
a rather sad and hardly an earth shattering event but it just goes
to show that even a place like Crewkerne can be in the news
occasionally. If you are not from the UK and don't know Linda
Bellingham she was an actress best known for featuring in adverts
for a food flavouring product, Oxo to be specific. She died of
cancer aged 65 a couple of weeks back. Well, a place like
Crewkerne has to grab its 15 mins of fame as and when it can.
Anyway, mortality, should make one think about getting the most out
of life and that is the theme of my quote of the week.
"Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are
unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound."
James Allen British Author 1864 to 1912
It may be one of the most difficult things to admit to ourselves
that we largely create our own reality. The life that we live is
created by our actions and behaviour. Our actions come from our
thoughts. Thoughts are dictated our attitudes. Attitudes are
formed by beliefs, whether beliefs about ourselves or the world
around us. Beliefs are mainly dictated through values which are
inculcated within us at a very early age. If you do not value
yourself and believe that you can make a worthwhile contribution to
the world then your circumstances will reflect your sense of self.
Of course circumstances have an effect on our lives. But if one
event such as a change in financial circumstances or a breakdown in
a relationship brings our whole world crashing down around our
ears then it could be that the weakness of our belief structure has
been revealed. It is always tempting to always blame the world and
other people for our problems and suffering. But if we are really
honest with ourselves it is always clear that we could do something
to improve our inner lives, challenge our core values, alter our
beliefs and develop new attitudes to all that life has to offer.
Changing ourselves is probably the biggest challenge we face in
life. It is never going to be easy. However sometimes a practice
such as martial arts can be very helpful. In martial training you
learn how to understand yourself and how you express yourself
physically and mentally. In training you will also be confronted
with your emotional and energetic responses to other people. A
martial arts class should be a safe environment to explore our
fears and doubts about ourselves. In the right kind of martial
arts training you will learn how to recognise your unconscious
responses and how to modify the inappropriate reactions into useful
responses.
None of this is easy, but it is a lot harder without help and
guidance. Sometimes you need the opportunity to challenge yourself
in a safe and supportive environment.
No guarantees, just because a person is put in an environment where
change and self-improvement is encouraged doesn't necessarily
mean they are sufficiently willing to be free. But it could be a
start.
Also a couple of new pictures of the Stav Centre
http://www.somersetstav.co.uk/sc.html
regards
Graham